Tire



June 9, 1925.

H. B. JOHNSTON TIRE Original Filed Jan. 16. 1920 Patented June 9, 1925.

HARRY Br.- JOHNSTGN, or. SEATRLE; wesrrmeeoin mien.

Application filed January 7 16; 1920', Serial No. 351,842. Renewed November-,8, 1924.

of the single tube type having a "joint at the inner circumference-thereof.

The principal Ob]Ct-i '0f my invention is the productioir'of a practical.simple'isingle tube tire construction;

One of the objects of lny invent i on is the provision ofsueh atir'e having a joint at itsinner'peniphery' and providedwith a soft layer on each contacting surface of-the oint.

Anotherobject of the invention is the pro *ision. of sueh a-tirehavingportions at the joint which-are raisedfofflof-therim when tire may be placedclamp ng bolts 18 having These clamping bolts pass the tire is deflated-but which. are. forced down-upon therimwrhen the tire :is inflated thus causing the ointtobemad'e' tighter.

Another object of this invention zisvtheprovision of such azsingle tube. tire which has portions whichziformucushions 'tOaPI'G- vent the rim from cutting. the. tire ;w-h1en the;

same is deflated.

Another tire of. clamping ;means. for. holdingthe tire on the: ruin of. 5 a wheel :and=,:thus .preventcreeping of: the t11ie=011 theirnnu deferring to thegdrawingS Figure .1 is a icrossksectiont' of my tire:

showing: the same inyconditiondto' be in. hated: T

Figure! isa cross sect-ioir'similar-toiFigure 1 showing the tire-inflated? Figure 3 shows alOn'gitudinal fnagmental cross'eection of: the tire showing the clamping means.

Figure l is a cross section on the line 4- i of Fig. 3.

Figure 5 is a cross section of a modification slightly diflerent from the form shown in Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a cross section showing the method of attaching the valve to the tire.

The same reference characters refer to similar parts in the several views.

10 designates the rim of an automobile wheel, 11 the spokes thereof and secured hereto by the heads 12.

12, designates the outer or main body portion of the tire and in which is embedded object is. the provisionzin'isuch a I I I I able .rirmfiange 22 4 and the locking ring. '23 z:

the fabric, reinforcements 14, three of which areshownin-the present embodiment. It

is to be unoerstood-tha-t while three layers 'otfabric are'shown this is merely-illustra-.

tive and more or less maybe used according to the type and weight of the-tire; These la'yers-offahi-ic 1+1 eXtend' along-the inside of the-:main body of the tire to the joint along the edge of the main bedy portionof the rim "engaging portion and thence=out-- wardly and along the rimflange-where the layers terminate at different points as show-n at 15. l

Extending around the inner, wall of the tireis-a relatively soft-rubber lining which is. preferably thickened nearest the treadas shown at- 16- and which extends throughout tlielength of the oint asshown at 17 and-may extend along tlie rim contacting surface to the rim flange-as shown at 28.

At intervals in the-circumferenceof the through the tire at the oi-nt at: which placesare provided opposed grooves on each: side which togetherform theo'pening for the shank of the bolts A hole--20 is provided: 1n:the rim: to receive the'bolt18' and a nut" 21' is provided to secure the bolt in place.

Inplacingthe tire on the rim, therem'ovareremoved; The tire is placed overthe run .16 and: the removable flangeQQ'put: in

ei" portion ,1 1'3 lwilhbe 'lDJCQIItaCtT' S. shown, in Figs. 1 and 5. Prior to theiplacing of the; outer side 1301? tion of the tire upon. the ring; the bolts 18 if used are putainplace-andthe tire arranged to have the registering groove in "position to receive the shank. The parts of the tire are so proportioned that when in place, there will be a slight pressure between the two faces of soft rubber at the joint. As soon as the locking ring is in place, the nuts 21 are tightened on the bolts 18 and the head19 drawn down against the inside of the tire.

The tire is now inflated. As the pressure increases on the inside of the rim engaging portions (see Figs. 1 and 5), these portions are pressed down to the shape shown in Fig. 2. The intense pressure compresses the soft layer between the hard portions of the rim engaging portions, thus effecting an excellent and air-tight joint.

The head 26 of the bolts 18 may be of any length or shape suitable to the use to which the tire is to be put.

In Fig. 6 is shown the valve stem having a flange 26 thereon which lies in contact with the inner surface of the tire. T he valve is held in place by the nut 27 and the construction of the tire at the point where the valve stem comes through is similar to the openings through which the bolts 18 pass and the valve stems are put in place at the same time as the bolts 18.

It is to be noted that the rim engaging portion of the tire is thicker than the height of the flange. This presents a distinct advantage since should the tire become deflated, the automobile could be run for some distance on the deflated tire Without serious injury to the tire due to rim cutting.

It will thus be seen that I have produced a single tube tire structure which is simple and practical and which may be easily turned inside out to aid in making repairs.

It is also clear that in my invention the structure is securely held in place and since a no friction between an inner tube and outer casing occurs, the common faults of the mner tube and outer casing construction, such as blowouts, torn tubes due to creeping, pinching and wrinkling, are obviated.

It is to be understood that many changes and modifications may be made in the detailed construction of my invention and that it is not intended to limit the construction except as set forth in the appended claims.

Vhile preferred forms of valve, attaching means and clamping means are shown in the drawing and described in the specification, it is to be understood that any suitable valve attaching means and clamping means may be used or the clamping means may be omitted altogether.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. A single tube tire having a joint at its inner periphery and comprising relatively thick rim engaging portions, normally engaging the rim at the outside and inside of the rim respectively and coming together at substantially midway between the outside and inside of the rim to form the joint, the riin engaging portions adjacent the joint being normally out of contact with the rim when the tire is deflated.

2. A. single tube tire having a joint at its inner periphery and comprising thickened portions adjacent the rim, the thickened portions normally engaging the rim at the sides thereof, the thickened portions coming together to form the joint and being normally out of contact with the rim at the joint when the tire is deflated.

A. singletube tire having a joint at its inner periphery, relatively hard and soft portions in the rim engaging portions, the soft portions opposing each other, the rim engaging portion being soconstructed as to contact with the rim at the joint when the tire is inflated and to be out of contact when the tire is deflated, bolts passing through the the at the joint for securing the tire in place.

at. A. single tube tire having a joint at its inner periphery, rim engaging portions forming a joint at their abutting sides and each having a cross section substantially the shape of a nonrectangular parallelogram when the tire is deflated and of a substantially rectangular cross section when the tire is inflated.

5. A single tube tire having a joint at its inner periphery and comprising rim engaging portions abutting to form the joint, reinforcingfabrics for said tire following closely the shape of the wall of the chamber and turning to conform to the joint and being turned outwardly parallel to the axis of the tire and being folded back toward the outside of the tire to a point beyond the rim engaging surface, said rim engaging portions being in contact with the rim near the outside of the rim and being normally out of contact with the rim adjacent the joint, when the tire is deflated.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

HARRY B. JOHNSTON. 

